A New Hero in Town
by brentmacwolf
Summary: When a new hero arrives in Nome, Balto is forced to make a hard decision. Either stay and become and outcast again or leave.


A New Hero in Town

The third Balto story by: silverbalto

Nome, Alaska; January 1st 1950, 6:45 am,

Balto watched as the sun rose above the Alaskan tundra. The light reflected off the fresh snow, making it sparkle. Balto breathed in the cool air and smiled. It was the beginning of a new decade; the 1950s. A decade of change, and of prosperity. Balto turned from the sunlight and walked into town. He walked past the various new stores; a grocery store, a drug store, and a new diner. Balto admired his new surrounding and didn't notice who was limping out of the diner.

''Brent? What happened?'' Balto asked. Brent used his crutches to steady himself as he turned.

''I slipped on my doorstep and broke my ankle. I have to stay off it for about three weeks.'' He groaned. Balto shook his head.

''Well, I think a walk might do you good. C'mon.'' Balto replied as he started walking. Brent turned slowly and followed Balto as fast as he could.

Both friends arrived at the train station. Brent looked around and saw a mob of female dogs gathering. He knew it was a handsome male, why else would they be swarming like bees. Balto and Brent walked over and saw that it was indeed a male. He had a black and peach coat of fur on his body, and his muscles told the two that he was a sled team leader; or was one in the past. His eyes had a sort of sinister quality to them, and his all-around appearance was like Steele, only more charming. The malamute noticed Balto and Brent and walked away. Brent gave him a dirty look and whispered, ''I can't believe what a jerk he is.''

Balto nodded.

''The world's full of 'em. You have to get used to it.'' He said as he and Brent continued their walk.

The next day, 2:23 pm,

Balto walked into the town for his usual walk. Today was the last day of an exhibition race between two teams who were running from Elim, Alaska. Balto sat on the sidelines and waited for Brent. Sure enough, he saw Brent slowly hobbling his way over to where Balto sat. Suddenly, a flare burst in the air. One mile to go. Brent sat down on the snow and waited. Just then, the two saw two little children playing on the street, and the dogs were coming into view. Brent tried to get up, but his left crutch got in the way and he went face-first into the snow. Balto knew it was up to him. He was about to run out to save the kids, when the malamute from earlier was already at the children. He put them on his back and jumped off the track, just as the two sleds flew by. Brent got into a sitting position and stared at Balto.

''What the heck happened?'' he asked. Balto didn't answer. He was too shocked to do so. Why didn't he move? He could have saved those kids, but he froze. The malamute walked over to the children's parents and barked. Both parents petted the malamute happily, and thanked him. Balto walked into an alleyway, still shocked. Brent got up to his feet and limped over to Balto.

''Don't worry 'bout it Balto,'' he tried to bring Balto's self-confidence up, ''it was just a lucky fluke. Next time I'm sure you'll be able to help someone.''

''I don't think that will be possible.'' A menacing voice snarled. Both Balto and Brent turned to see the malamute standing at the entrance to the alley.

''Why don't you think that?'' Balto questioned. The malamute grinned.

''Because, Balto, it's about time this town got a new hero. You're washed up, has-been!'' he taunted. Brent limped over to the malamute and replied, ''who do you think you are? Insulting my friend like that?''

The malamute pushed Brent backward, making him lose his balance and fall backward. Brent held his ankle and exclaimed, ''stupid human body!''

The malamute smiled and started to walk away. But Balto stopped him right in his tracks.

''You villain!'' Balto shouted. The malamute stopped and turned.

''No one _ever_ calls me a villain!'' he growled threw a rock at Balto. It missed, but by the time Balto was about to retaliate, the malamute was gone, with only his voice lingering behind, ''my name is Klondike. And one day you'll learn why I'm the new hero.''

Twenty minutes later…

Balto had managed to get Brent back to his home by carrying him on his back. Brent got onto his couch and flicked on the TV. He then grabbed another remote and pressed a button on it that said _Play_. Suddenly, a castle with a flare flying over it appeared on the screen, although in black and white. Brent pressed the _Pause_ button and turned to Balto.

''Thanks pal,'' he smiled, ''but once I get better, I'm gonna turn that malamute into a cheap throw rug! He's gonna pay for what he said and did.''

''But before you start plotting revenge, you'd better get some rest.'' Balto reminded. Brent nodded and relaxed on the couch, starting up his movie.

Balto walked through the door and closed it behind him. He knew that this Klondike character was trouble. Just as Balto was about to walk to Boris' boat, he heard a women screaming.

''Help! Someone help! My baby! Help!''

Balto ran straight for the source of the sound.

Near the edge of town was a small, but deep river; mostly frozen all year. Balto stopped at the scene and saw that a small child had fallen through the ice, and was trying to swim. Balto slowly walked out onto the ice, spreading out his feet ass far as they could go so he wouldn't fall through as well. Suddenly, Klondike appeared and ran across the ice, grabbing the child by the hood of its parka. Balto turned and fell through. He swam to shore and shook the water off of himself. He knew this wasn't going to be easy. But he had to keep trying.

One day, and countless tries later…

Inside his house, Brent slept on the couch, the remote still in his hand. He had no idea what was about to happen. Two dogs walked in and quietly knocked the professor out. They then carried him outside and headed toward the train tracks.

Balto had woken up early that day to see how his friend was doing. Balto knocked on the professor's door. No answer. Balto checked the living room where the TV and couch was. No one was there. Balto walked into the house and saw that wherever Brent had gone, he had forgotten his crutches. Then it hit Balto like a ton of bricks. Brent hadn't gone somewhere, he'd been _taken_ somewhere. Balto grabbed Brent's crutches and looked for something that would tell his the local. He then noticed some fresh footprints heading for the railway treacle bridge just outside town.

It was just as Balto had thought. There was Prof. MacWolf; unconscious and tried to the tracks. Balto then heard a sound he'd wished he hadn't. A train whistle. The morning train was coming. Balto dropped the crutches and ran onto the treacle bridge. He slapped Brent face in an attempt to wake him up, but it didn't work. Balto suddenly felt a small vibration. The train was getting closer. Balto soon yelled, ''wake up damn it! Wake it!''

Brent's eyes shot open and he looked at Balto.

''What the heck? Where am I?''

Brent then noticed the tracks, and the train.

''Balto, get me off these tracks!'' he exclaimed. Balto nodded and started to untie the ropes. He had just about untied the first one when Klondike appeared. He ran up and pushed Balto out of the way. Balto moved backward and felt his balance failing him. Balto fell backward and off the bridge. He reached out and grabbed a wooden support beam. Above, Klondike had untied Brent and ran away. Brent turned and saw the train heading right for him. He could see the headlight perfectly now, and the expression on the conductor's face. She gave the whistle a blast as the train came closer. Brent limped toward the end and jumped, just as the train rolled over the spot where he had been just seconds before. Brent grabbed Balto's legs and held on. Balto looked up and saw the train reversing. The conductor called down, ''you guys need any help?''

Balto nodded, ''we could use some of that thanks.'' He answered. The conductor disappeared and re-appeared with a rope. He threw it down to Balto and yelled, ''tie it to your waist; I'll use Hartwell II here to pull you guys up. Oh, and don't forget to hang on.''

Brent tied his end of the rope to his waist and yelled up, ''I don't think you need to worry about that pal. We got no other choice!''

As both friends watched, the conductor blew the whistle and started to reverse. Steam hissed from between the wheels as Utah slowly moved backward. Balto and Brent felt themselves slowly rising, and soon, they were able to get onto the bridge. Balto untied his rope, and Brent did the same. The conductor waited until both friends were off the track and chugged forward. He then stopped and hopped from the train. He was a grey timber wolf with green eyes. His fur, however, was a brown colour. Balto assumed this was because of the soot and dirt from the train. The conductor wore a grey and white striped shirt, with a collar and a pocket where he put her radio. Finally, he wore a conductor's hat, with two holes where his ears could protrude from. His train Hartwell II no. 1905 was amazing once both Brent and Balto got a chance to take a look at it. The train was a 2-6-0 Mogul, but it seemed different about it. The headlamp was in front of the smoke-stacker, yet the bulb was shaped like a howling wolf. The boiler had small snowflakes painted over the plain black paint. Finally, the cabin had a few things in it that were unusual for that time. A small beach radio hung from the roof of the cabin, and a picture of a train sat on the floor. The cars were a mix of passenger and freight cars and on the end was a dark-red caboose with the KRSR logo on it; a howling wolf insignia with KRSR written over it. He stuck his hand out and replied, ''my name's Rail Wolf.''

Balto shook his hand warmly, ''I'm Balto. And this is my friend Prof. Brent MacWolf.'' Brent then shook Rail's hand.

''Thanks for the rescue.'' Brent replied. Rail Wolf put up his hand.

''It was my pleasure. You guys looked like you needed a lift anyway.'' All three chuckled. Brent then remembered the track.

''Balto, how'd I end up on the tracks?'' he asked.

Balto sighed.

''You were kidnapped and put there. I was about to save you, when Klondike save you. I kind froze again.'' Balto admitted. Brent was about to say something, when Balto turned to Rail Wolf and asked, ''where the farthest stop you have?''

Rail Wolf checked his itinerary and answered, ''Juneau. Why do you ask?''

Balto turned to Brent.

''Get packed. We're going to Juneau.'' He answered solemnly and jumped into a boxcar near the train. Brent gave him a shocked look and questioned, ''Balto, what are you thinking? Nome needs you!''

''No, Nome has a new hero now. Klondike. Now get your stuff. And bring Jenna with you too'' Balto ordered. Brent sighed and limped home to pack.

About five minutes later, Brent came back with one suitcase full of clothes, a few books, and Jenna. He threw it into the boxcar and told Balto he'd ride in the cabin. Balto nodded and closed the door once his wife jumped in. Rail Wolf gave the whistle a long blast and pushed the throttle to 25 power. Utah's wheels spun for a few seconds, and then the train moved forward and out of Nome. Balto opened the boxcar a crack and watched as his hometown disappeared in the distance.

Meanwhile in a secret underground hideout, Klondike sat in an expensive leather chair. He smiled with satisfaction at the news of Balto running away.

''Perfect. My scheme's going exactly as planned.'' He snickered. One of his minions gave a small chuckle. Klondike grabbed a rolled-up newspaper and slammed it over his muzzle.

''Never laugh when I do!'' Klondike snarled. The dog nodded and massaged his muzzle. Klondike put the paper down and replied, ''now, the next thing we should do is make those pathetic humans not suspect us. We will soon turn this town into rubble, and we'll use one of the professor's gadgets to do it.''

The KRSR railway, near Juneau, Alaska, 4:45 am,

Balto was awakened by the train whistle blasting loudly in the dark Alaskan night. Balto opened the boxcar door a crack and felt the cool night air brushing by his face. Hartwell II was chugging along a cliff side track; and it was about forty feet to the forest below. Balto then looked ahead; he saw a green signal whiz by as if it was a blur. Balto decided to get some air and closed the door. He walked over to a small ladder that led up to the hatch on the roof of the boxcar. Balto opened the hatch, and felt the wind grab it, throwing it into the roof with a clang. Balto got onto the roof and slowly walked over to the cabin. Inside, Rail Wolf kept his eyes ahead, watching the tracks. The professor was fast asleep on the floor. Balto jumped into the cabin and whispered, ''how's it been going?''

Rail wolf answered without taking his eyes off the track, ''good, I guess. You couldn't sleep?''

''Nope. Darn train whistle woke me up.'' Balto moaned. Brent then sleepily opened his eyes.

''Balto,'' he mumbled, in a wobbly voice, ''what're you doing up so early?''

''Couldn't sleep. Jenna still out though. She'll sleep through anything.'' Balto joked. All three laughed. Brent fell back to sleep, seeing that he couldn't possibly climb into the boxcar with his ankle. Balto watched as the headlamp projected the image of a howling wolf into the darkness ahead. From somewhere in the forest blow, a lone wolf howled. The sound gave Balto both the creeps and a warm fuzzy feeling inside. Suddenly, Rail Wolf saw something ahead. He slammed the brakes on as hard as they would go. The wheels stopped and screeched loudly as they rubbed against the tracks. Brent and Jenna were awoken from a deep sleep. Jenna raced to the cabin as Hartwell II came to a stop. All four friends looked out the cabin windows. On the track stood a black dog; although none of the friends could make out any finer details than that. It then turned and revealed it's most ghastly features. The dog had two eyes that glowed blood red. It gave the train one final look, and then vanished.

''What the hell was that?'' Brent exclaimed. Rail Wolf whimpered and replied, ''Black Shook.''

''Who?'' Balto asked. Rail Wolf grabbed a small book from behind the picture of the train. Inside was a picture of a horrible demon dog with red eyes.

''Black Shook is a demon dog that only appears on certain nights, and in certain places. Seeing Black Shook could mean doom and disaster. My Auntie Marie in Britain saw Black Shook, and the next day she was found dead in her rocking chair. It's an omen; we're all doomed!'' Rail Wolf whimpered. Balto patted her on the back and said, ''everything will probably be fine. Don't you worry.''

Rail Wolf nodded and slowly pushed the throttle forward as Hartwell II started up again.

Two hours later,

The sun still hadn't risen yet, but there was a small hint of sunlight in the sky. Rail Wolf was listening to her pocket radio as he watched the tracks. Soon, the sun began to rise. The sky was filled with reds, oranges, yellows, and purples as the sun slowly moved above the horizon. Rail Wolf grabbed some sunglasses and placed them on his muzzle. Balto and Brent saw it too. Hartwell II had managed to make it off the cliff side tracks, and now was on a long stretch of track that led to Juneau. Just then, Hartwell II's steam gauge started to go up. Rail Wolf did a double take when he saw that the boiler pressure was up to 65.

''What's going on?'' Balto asked.

''The boiler pressure is above what it should be. If the pressure gets too high, the boiler will explode!'' Rail Wolf exclaimed. Brent was up at the controls in a flash.

''What's he doing?'' Rail Wolf questioned.

''He know what he's doing. Let him work.'' Balto replied ads Brent reached in his pockets. He pulled out a small gadget he called the "Ice Pistol." Brent aimed the pistol, and used his crutches to support his weight as he did so. Brent fired the ice beam right into the boiler, cooling it down and putting out the fire. The steam gauge went down about five percent, but then rose above 80.

''You moron! You just increased the amount of steam in the boiler!'' Rail Wolf exclaimed. Brent answered him in the exact tone of voice.

''How was I supposed to know?'' he spluttered. Balto gave a short blast of the train whistle.

''Quiet! Both of you stop it! We can still solve this problem; we just have a lot less time to do so. I suggest stiffening the steam out of the boiler.''

''But how?'' Brent asked. Rail Wolf applied the brakes and made Hartwell II come to a full stop. He then hopped out of the cabin and walked up to the side of the train. Turning a small wheel on the side, he opened a small porthole-sized vent and watched as the hot steam rushed out of the boiler and created fog upon contact with the cool morning air.

''This is how we stiffen if out.'' He replied. Balto and Brent nodded and got out of the cabin. Balto helped Rail Wolf open the vents on his side, while Brent opened the vents on the opposite side. Soon, all the hot steam had made a dense fog that surrounded Hartwell II. Rail Wolf and Balto jumped into the cabin, but Brent was still on the ground.

''Balto? Rail Wolf? Where the heck are you?'' he called.

''Brent?'' Balto called back.

''Balto? Where are you? This darn fog's too thick.'' Brent shouted.

''He must still be outside!'' Rail Wolf exclaimed. Balto pulled on the whistle. Brent was standing right near the train when the whistle blasted. Brent held his ears.

''Well, at least I know where the train is.'' Brent thought, though it was mostly drown out by the whistle. Brent hobbled his way toward the whistle, and bumped into Hartwell II. Brent felt his way along the train until he found the ladder. He looked up and saw that both Rail Wolf and Balto did not notice his there.

''Care to give me a hand?'' Brent called up. Balto turned and reached his arms through the fog. Brent grabbed them and was pulled upward. By now, the sun had risen above the horizon, and the day was upon the four friends. Hartwell's paint glistened in the bright sun. Rail Wolf closed the steam vents and got his train up and running once again.

Juneau, three days later…

Balto, Jenna and Prof. MacWolf had been n Juneau for exactly three days since they ran away. Rail Wolf had been giving them updates of what was going on in the town since they uprooted and left. On this specific day, Brent was walking through the large town. He suddenly saw a sled team running in from the north.

''How was the run?'' he asked the lead dog. He shrugged and un-harnessed himself.

''It was about average. The only highlight, if you can call it a highlight, was when we nearly got blasted to smithereens!'' the lead dog replied. Brent gave him a serious look.

''What happened?'' he asked. The lead dog took a deep breath and explained.

''Well, my team and I were doing our regular jobs; delivering supplies to the towns in the far North. Anyway, we get to this one town and we see that it's being destroyed. Whoever or whatever was doing this saw us and nearly blew my team and I to kingdom come!''

''What town was it?'' Brent questioned further. The lead dog thought for a second, then answered, ''Nome, Alaska.''

Brent was shocked. For the first time since he broke his ankle, the pain was overshadowed by numbness. Brent asked one more question.

''What did the thing use to do such a thing?''

''It looked like he was holding a weird-looking gun of some sort. From a distance though, you can't really make out _every_ detail.'' The lead dog remarked. Brent's face went from shocked to dead serious. He thanked the dog and hobbled over to the trio's hideout as fast as he could.

Brent burst through the door to the trio's hideout. Inside were just the essentials; straw beds, a wood stove, and a small garden tap with a bucket under it. Balto noticed Brent come in and replied, ''Brent, you look like you've seen a ghost!''

''Not far off that Balto,'' Brent answered, 'Nome's been attacked. We have to get there, and quick!''

All three friends grabbed their stuff and headed for the train station. Sure enough, Hartwell II and Rail Wolf were about to pull out of the station. He saw the three and called, ''so, you need another ride do you?''

''This is no time to be funny Rail,'' Balto cut Rail Wolf off, ''innocent peoples' lives are at stake!''

Rail Wolf nodded.

''Okay, hop in the cabin. Jenna, uncouple the tender from the cars. It's about time I showed you Hartwell's true power.''

Jenna did as she was asked and uncoupled the tender from the freight cars behind. She jumped into the cabin and all three friends watched as Rail Wolf opened a small door in the floor, pulling out a red bundle of fibres. He threw it into the boiler and pushed the throttle to full power. Hartwell II's wheels slipped for a few seconds, and then the train moved forward at a fast speed, throwing people and dogs backward as the steam rushed out from between the wheels.

Hartwell II was almost at Nome Junction in about two hours. The fibre log that Rail Wolf had fed into the boiler had worked. Rail Wolf smiled.

''See? What did I tell you?''

''What was that log made out of?'' Brent asked, flabbergasted.

''It's my own creation. I call it: The Presto log! It makes the fire burn hotter, thus creating more steam and making the wheels move faster.''

Soon, Hartwell II was approaching the trestle bridge where Brent nearly met his doom.

''Ah !'' Rail Wolf exclaimed.

''What's the matter now?'' Brent retorted.

''The train throttle's stuck. I can't slow the train down.''

''And that's bad…right?'' Brent asked. Rail Wolf nodded.

''You need to move slowly over a trestle bridge or it'll break.'' He answered. Brent put up his hand and replied, ''wait a second. Are you saying that if we don't slow this hunk of metal down, we're going to be in a train wreck that was as big as the Nenana one?''

''Unfortunately, you're right.'' Rail Wolf nodded. Brent slapped his forehead.

''Like I always say; "we're all gonna die!''

''Oh shut up Brent!'' Balto, Jenna and Rail Wolf exclaimed. Brent gave them a snooty look as Rail Wolf tried his hardest to pull the throttle. Suddenly, he gave one final tug. The throttle handle ripped off its housing as Rail Wolf flew backwards. He got to his feet and gave a loud gulp when he realised that he was still holding the throttle in his hand. Balto looked ahead and saw the bridge was getting closer. They were running out of time. Balto took one deep breath and grabbed an adjustable wrench. He tied it to the throttle control and started to pull backward. Jenna held Balto's thighs and pulled herself.

''Come on, you two,'' he ordered between tugs, ''help us out here!''

Rail Wolf nodded and grabbed Jenna's sides, pulling his hardest as he did so. Brent threw down his crutches and grabbed Rail Wolf's shoulders. All four pulled with all their might. Just then, Balto started to feel the train slowing down.

''Keep going guys! We almost have it!'' he exclaimed. The four friends, now with more energy than ever, pulled until every last ounce of strength was zapped from their bodies. Hartwell II slowed down and stopped just before the bridge. Balto released the wrench and collapsed onto the cabin floor.

''That was _way_ too close for comfort!'' Brent exclaimed. Rail Wolf nodded.

''Yeah. A few more inches, and we'd have been in that river!''

The four then looked toward Nome. There were multiple flumes of black smoke rising above the building, as well as faint screams of terror.

''Who would do such a thing?'' Jenna asked. Balto sighed and then saw something that answered that question.

''Klondike.'' He said without emotion. Brent turned to Balto.

''You sure about that Balto? I mean, you can't make those kinds of accusations without some kind of evidence, either physics or microscopic.'' He explained. Balto pointed to one of the charred structures. It was Boris' boat. Luckily, Boris was in Russia, so he was not hurt.

''Looks like Klondike thought he'd kill me by attacking my home. Well, we'll show him. Now would be a good time to get the jump on that villain.'' Balto replied as Rail Wolf made his train slowly move over the trestle bridge.

A few minutes later, Hartwell II pulled into the Nome station. Rail Wolf stopped his train and jumped out of the cabin followed by his friends. Brent knew that Klondike must have stolen one of his gadgets. And now he was using it to destroy the town. Brent led his friends to his house. Sure enough, the secret lab had been robbed. Brent prayed that the gadget that was stolen wasn't what he thought. But it turned out that he had thought correct. Brent looked at a safe that lay open in a corner of his lab.

''No. Why did they have to take that gadget?'' Brent asked himself. Jenna walked over and saw the safe.

''What did they take?'' she asked.

''Well, when I came to this time era, I brought a small arsenal of futuristic weapons to use only in an emergency. The most powerful was stored in this safe. It's called the _Hyper Gryphon_. It's a powerful handgun that shoots explosive lasers. It has unlimited ammo as well, mostly because it's solar powered,'' Brent turned and saw Jenna's face, ''it runs off the power of the Sun.'' Brent finished. Jenna nodded and told Balto and Rail Wolf.

''Does this weapon have a weakness?'' Balto asked Brent. He nodded.

''If we can block the sunlight from getting to the gun, then it'll run out of ammo. But it's calling for clear skies for the next two weeks!''

Rail Wolf thought for a few seconds, then replied, ''smoke!''

''What?'' all three friends asked.

''The smoke from Hartwell II is pretty thick. I can't see the sun at all when I'm looking through it. We just have to make enough smoke to block out the sun for long enough that Balto can get the gun away from Klondike.''

''Brilliant idea Rail Wolf!'' Brent exclaimed. Rail Wolf smiled. Suddenly, the building shook. Balto and his friends ran upstairs to see that a small chunk had been taken out of Brent's roof. They looked out the doorway to see Klondike pointing the Gryphon right at them. He grinned evilly and replied, ''no where to run, no where to hide Balto. You're gonna die like the dog you are!''

''Get down!'' Brent yelled as he pushed his friends out of the doorway. A laser whizzed by the friends just as the landed on the floor. The laser exploded in the back on the house, making a hole where the bathroom used to be. Brent held his ankle and groaned. He had put all his weight on it when he pushed his friend out of the way.

''You guys go on without me. I'll be fine.'' Brent moaned. Balto shook his head.

''No, you're as safe as a mosquito in here.''

''But I'll slow you down. Go, before that villain destroys the town.'' Brent said, making his decision final. Balto sighed and turned to Jenna and Rail Wolf.

''You heard the professor, let's go!'' he ordered as they jumped through the hole in the back.

Outside, Klondike was destroying more building. Balto and his friends had made it to the Hartwell II, and both Rail Wolf and Balto started to load her boiler full of coal. The smoke that was generated was as black as the Alaskan night. The sunlight was blocked out within a few minutes. In town, Klondike was about to fire at the veterinary clinic when his gun ran out of ammo. He glared at it and looked up. The sun was gone.

''Balto.'' He growled and ran to the train station.

Jenna saw him coming.

''Bogey heading our way. What do we do?'' she asked. Balto had a look of complete seriousness and clam. He grabbed a futuristic rifle off his back and reloaded it.

''I'll handle him myself. He's messed with my friends, my family, and my town. So he'll be escorted to the gate of Hell by me.''

Jenna hugged her husband.

''Be careful. And come back to me alive.'' She pleaded. Balto nodded.

''I promise.'' He answered as he grabbed Rail Wolf's conductor's hat and placed it on his head. Rail Wolf patted his train tenderly.

''She'll get you to your sniper position at the top of the mountain. Take care of her. She's all I got.'' He replied. Balto smiled and pushed the throttle. Hartwell II moved forward. Balto looked back and saw that both Jenna and Rail Wolf had taken refugee in a secret bomb shelter like he had told them to do. Balto just hoped he'd be able to succeed.

Five minutes later…

Hartwell II rushed across the tracks until it reached the sniper spot. Balto stopped the train and grabbed his rifle. Adjusting the scope, he climbed up until he could see the town. Balto brought the scope up to this right eye and scanned the town. There was no sign of Klondike anywhere. Then he saw something he wished he hadn't. Klondike had found where Rail Wolf and Jenna were hiding. And now he was holding them hostage across the trestle bridge. Balto jumped into the cabin. There was a turntable just up ahead, and Balto had an idea. He pushed the throttle forward and brought Hartwell II to a stop on the turntable. After about thirty seconds, Hartwell II was one it's way down the tracks, heading at full speed.

Balto stopped the locomotive at the station and pulled out his rifle. From across the bridge, a confident voice could be heard.

''You think you can beat _me_? In my hand, I hold the one bargaining chip that you cannot take out. Your friends. Now you wouldn't want anything to happen to them, would you? If not, then drop your rifle and surrender.''

Balto couldn't decide. He stood there; the rifle aimed right at Klondike. But he couldn't bring up enough courage to pull the trigger. The rifle slowly dropped and fell from his paw. Balto put his head down and yelled, ''I surrender. You win Klondike. Now let my friends go!''

Klondike smiled. The smoke was gone, and the sun shone brightly. Klondike pulled out the Gryphon and laughed.

''Too bad you're as gullible as a husky. Your friends will be seeing you in heaven soon enough.''

Klondike aimed the Gryphon at Balto's head. Balto sighed and clutched his fists. He had failed. A small tear fell from his eye. Suddenly, a loud battle cry was heard coming from the town.

''Light thieves all!'' it roared. Balto pulled his head up and saw Brent running toward Klondike. His ankle was still broken, but he was sprinting like he was fine. Klondike turned and fired. Brent was shot backward from the impact. Jenna saw this and started to cry. Klondike laughed. Balto saw his friend lying on the ground and glared at Klondike. His eyes seemed to have fire fly from them. Balto thrust the throttle of Hartwell II to full power. He didn't care about the bridge. Balto grabbed his rifle and aimed. Klondike felt a large vibration and turned to see a train barrelling toward him. He was about to fire when the arm that held the Gryphon disappeared. A strange blue liquid poured from the socket. On the tracks lay the arm, still holding the Gryphon. Balto shot the other arm off, releasing both Jenna and Rail Wolf. Both dogs ran in opposite direction from the tracks. Klondike growled at the sight of both his arms lying on the ground. He then smiled.

''You cannot defeat me be taking off my arms. I'm still able to fight. I'm a robot after all.'' He smiled Balto gave him a similar smile.

''Fine, then I'll finish the job. This is for Brent!'' Balto roared as the train slammed right into Klondike, sending him into pieces. Klondike's head bounced to the left and came to a rest near the Gryphon. Balto stopped the train and walked toward the gun. He picked it up and glared at the head. Its eyes turned upwards and he spoke in a child-like tone.

''Please don't kill me Balto, I'll be a good robot from now on.''

Balto aimed the Gryphon.

''Don't make me laugh.'' He replied as he pulled the trigger. The laser shot from the gun and hit the head, making it explode. The mouth landed on the snow and the last words to come from it were, ''you shall never defeat…meeee.''

The mouth closed and sparked. Balto ran to Brent's side and saw that his shirt had been blow off his body. Balto turned away and started to cry. Jenna came over and hugged him, crying as well. Rail Wolf was about to cry, when he saw something he wasn't expecting.

''Uhhh guys. I think you'd better take a look at Brent's body.''

Balto and Jenna turned their head toward the body and saw it standing up. Balto was so surprised.

''Brent, you're alive!'' he exclaimed. But Brent shook his head.

''No Balto, look again.'' He replied. Balto looked down and saw Brent's lifeless body still laying on the ground. He started to cry and shook his head.

''It's not fair. Why did you have to die?'' he asked. Brent sighed.

''It must have been my time to go. Besides, I've done a lot of crazy things in my life, so eventually I would make a mistake and kill myself. I wasn't expecting for it to be so soon.'' Brent laughed. Balto gave a small chuckle, but he still seemed sad.

''Brent, you were my best friend. What will I do without you here?'' he questioned. Brent put his transparent hand on Balto's shoulder.

''Balto, you have your other friends. Don't let my death make you not enjoy life. Enjoy it for me. Enjoy life like I wanted to.'' He said. Balto nodded and was about to turn away. Brent spoke on more time, putting his hand on Balto's heart.

''And Balto, if ever you need guidance or a friendly hand, I'll never be far away. Now I'd better go. God's expecting me, and you can't make him wait.''

''Will we ever see you again?'' Jenna asked. Brent nodded as he hovered into the air.

''I'll save you guys some lots in doggy heaven. I've got a lot right beside Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison. Now I have to go. Bye everyone!''

Brent's transparent body floated upwards and disappeared into the clouds. Balto stared at the sky and smiled.

''Thank you, my friend.''

Epilogue:

It's been five months since Brent was killed. The town of Nome has been re-built from the ashes and Balto has been named a hero again. He and Jenna now live in Rosie's house in New York. Rail Wolf still runs the rails, however he managed to nab himself a nice mate by the name of Cherrie. As for Prof. Brent MacWolf, he still is in the same spot as he was when they buried him. His grave is located under his secret lab, which has been turned into a museum that showcases the strange gadgets. There is a small stone that is located just above his grave with these words engraved into it by Balto himself,

Here lies Brent MacWolf 

_A true genius, scientist and friend_

_May the angels protect him from harm._

''I'll miss you, pal.'' Balto thought as he watched the sun set on the horizon of the Alaskan north.

END


End file.
